Hungarian-born, Judit Matthews, is an illustrative artist living in Surrey. ‘After leaving school,’ she writes, ‘I came to England in 1994 as an au-pair in my gap year. I met Jim, who is now my husband and have two children, Harry and Emma.
‘My work has a unique look with lots of detail in an illustrative style. I get my inspiration from paper-cutting artists and my Hungarian heritage, which is rich with folk art. I enjoy painting animals but not in a conventional way. The starting point for this picture was a sketch of a pheasant I did on Dartmoor a few years ago and using my imagination for the setting. I begin with a detailed pencil drawing, then go over my lines with a dip pen and Winsor & Newton black Indian ink. Once the ink dries, I rub out my pencil lines and start painting using watercolours. I try to use a limited palette, mostly sticking to four or five colours. To finish, I add collage using patterned or textured papers, such as Japanese washi paper or wallpaper – sometimes even wrapping paper.